As a natural upgrade path for mobile operators from the previously detached GSM, CDMA and TD-SCDMA ecosystems, LTE has emerged as the first truly global mobile communications standard. Commonly marketed as the “4G” standard, LTE promises to provide higher data rates and lower latency at a much lower TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) than 3G technologies.

The TCO and performance is further enhanced by deployment of small cells and the LTE-Advanced standard, which improves performance and data rates using features such as the aggregation of carriers, interference management and advanced antenna techniques.

With over 500 fully commercial network launches, LTE has become a mainstream technology, and a number of mobile operators have already deployed LTE-Advanced technology. SNS Research estimates that LTE service revenues will account for over $600 Billion in 2016. The figure is further expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 5% over the next four years.

While LTE and LTE-Advanced deployments are still underway, mobile operators and vendors have already embarked on R&D initiatives to develop so-called “5G” networks, with a vision of commercialization by 2020. 5G is essentially a revolutionary paradigm shift in wireless networking to support the throughput, latency, and scalability requirements of future use cases such as extreme bandwidth augmented reality applications and connectivity management for Billions of M2M (Machine to Machine) devices.

By 2020, LTE and 5G infrastructure investments are expected to account for a market worth $32 Billion. This includes spending on distributed macrocells, small cells, C-RAN architecture equipment and mobile core solutions.

Company profiles and strategies of over 90 ecosystem players including infrastructure vendors, device OEMs and mobile operators

Market analysis and forecasts from 2016 till 2030

Forecast Segmentation

Market forecasts are provided for each of the following submarkets and their subcategories:

LTE/5G Infrastructure Shipments & Revenue

Distributed Macrocell Base Stations

Small Cells

RRHs (Remote Radio Heads)

C-RAN BBUs (Centralized RAN Baseband Units)

Mobile Core

LTE/5G Device Shipments & Revenue

Handsets

Tablets

Embedded M2M Modules

USB Dongles

Routers

LTE/5G Subscriptions and Service Revenue

FDD LTE

TD-LTE

5G

Private LTE/5G Infrastructure Revenue

Public Safety

Military

Energy & Utilities

Transportation

Mining & Others

Regional Markets

Asia Pacific

Eastern Europe

Latin & Central America

Middle East & Africa

North America

Western Europe

Key Questions Answered

The report provides answers to the following key questions:

How big is the LTE, LTE-Advanced and 5G ecosystem?

How is the ecosystem evolving by segment and region?

What will the market size be in 2020 and at what rate will it grow?

What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth?

Who are the key infrastructure and device vendors, and what are their strategies?

How will FDD LTE investments compare with TD-LTE?

What is the outlook for LTE-Advanced adoption?

What are the future prospects for unlicensed LTE, VoLTE and eMBMS services?

Will future network rollouts adopt a C-RAN architecture?

How will NFV and virtualization affect the EPC market?

What opportunities exist for small cells and how will their proliferation impact the wider LTE/5G infrastructure market?

How much are vendors and operators investing in 5G R&D efforts?

What will be the number of 5G subscriptions in 2020 and at what rate will it grow?

What are the prospects of millimeter wave technology for 5G radio access networking?

Key Findings

The report has the following key findings:

In 2016, mobile operators will pocket over $600 Billion from commercial LTE service revenues. The figure is further expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 5% over the next four years.

More than 150 LTE operators have already deployed carrier aggregation technology. By 2020, over 50% of all LTE subscribers will be supported by LTE-Advanced networks.

Mobile operators are pursuing a range of technologies including unlicensed LTE (LTE-U, LAA, LWA, MulteFire), VoLTE and eMBMS, as they seek to maximize the value of their LTE investments while addressing mobile data traffic growth.

Although 5G is yet to be standardized, vendors are aggressively investing in 5G development efforts with a principal focus on new air interface transmission schemes, higher frequency bands and advanced antenna technologies such as Massive MIMO and beamforming.

By 2020, LTE and 5G infrastructure investments are expected to account for a market worth $32 Billion. This includes spending on distributed macrocells, small cells, C-RAN architecture equipment and mobile core solutions."